KIGALI - Subsequent to the territorial extension of her bail by a French court, the Director of State Protocol Rose Kabuye is expected in the country later this afternoon, government has confirmed. In a statement released yesterday by the Ministry of Information, the government said that the court decision was a step in the right direction.

"The Government of Rwanda considers this development a step in the right direction, as Mrs. Kabuye is now free to travel without any restriction and report to court when required to do so,” reads the statement released by Information Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, who is also the government spokesperson.

Since her arrest on November 9 in the German City of Frankfurt, the government of Rwanda has maintained that the arrest was not only illegal but also based on fictitious indictments.

The arrest was based on indictments issued against Kabuye and eight other officials formerly part of the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) allegedly for having had a hand in the shooting down of the plane that was carrying former president Juvenal Habyarimana.

The indictments were issued by French judge Jean Louis Bruguiere and following Kabuye’s arrest, various witnesses upon whose statements the judge based the indictments have already withdrawn their testimonies.

Among those that retracted their testimonies is Abdul Joshua Ruzibiza, a former RPA soldier who is currently in exile, the key witness in the case who said that the information he provided was influenced by operatives of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

Bruguiere is accused among other allegations, of having issued the indictments without providing a chance to the people implicated to give their side of the story.

"The Government believes that those outstanding arrest warrants against Rwandan officials should be nullified, as there is no need to arrest and humiliate individuals who have never been asked and refused to cooperate with justice,” reads the statement released yesterday.

Kabuye’s arrest ignited protests both within and outside the country. Before this development, Kabuye’s bail conditions restricted her to the French territory.

Justice minister Tharcisse Karugarama on Monday said that Kabuye was expected to make her initial appearance before the French Court on January 10 next year. 

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